We started to reimagine what Skype would look like back when we launched our Windows Phone 8 app late last year. Our focus was simple: we wanted to deliver an app that makes your interactions easier and puts conversations first. Our Android team saw this great work and wanted to deliver an equally bold, beautiful, and modern design in this latest Skype for Android release.

We've completely redesigned Skype for Android to be faster and easier – especially when you're trying to fire off a quick message. Everything is at your fingertips. As soon as you open the app, you'll notice the clean new look listing your recent conversations – just tap on one to catch up and reply. When you tap or swipe over to the Contacts or Favorites tabs, tapping on a person brings you right into a messaging window so you can start a conversation. And from there video calls, voice calls and everything else are just one tap away.

Skype for Android 4.0 has all the features you use and love, but is a whole new app... literally. We didn't just give Skype a makeover, we rebuilt it from the ground up to be faster and more reliable. We went beyond design and fundamentally changed the way Skype was built, focusing much of our effort on stability, performance, and load time.